


The Edge of Order

by ollie911



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, M/M, Ministry of Magic (Harry Potter), Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:02:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24874291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ollie911/pseuds/ollie911
Summary: In the summer of 1995, two members of the Department of Law Enforcement Squad stationed abroad are recalled from their positions and forced into the middle of one of the most controversial cases of the decade. Dealing with the pressure from her work, the painful childhood she endured at the hands of her elitist family, and the prevalent strain of an oppressive regime, Morrigan Selwyn will have no choice but to handle the uncertain whirlwind her life has become. Old demons and new ones meet, and Morrigan will be forced to find out just where her loyalty lies. In this time of doubt, Morrigan has more than one question in her mind. What happened the night of Cedric Diggory's death? Who are the members of the Order of the Phoenix? And why does everything she do lead right back to a certain professor?
Relationships: Severus Snape/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 9





	1. A Horse With No Name

_On the first part of the journey_

_I was looking at all the life_   
_There were plants and birds and rocks and things_   
_There was sand and hills and rings_   
_The first thing I met was a fly with a buzz_   
_And the sky with no clouds_   
_The heat was hot and the ground was dry_   
_But the air was full of sound_

* * *

The day Morrigan returned to England was a bitter one, but she never expected her return to be for happy reasons. Hell, for a long time, she even doubted she would ever return at all. Morrigan had left at eighteen on a good career opportunity which doubled as a convenient excuse to ditch her toxic family members and never speak to them again except for the occasional Christmas card. Another pureblood girl would've stayed and fulfilled her duty as heir of a noble and honorable house. Maybe she would've been delight at the hefty inheritance and the easy access to the top of the social ladder that Morrigan herself had been presented with at the tender age of nine. Unfortunately, the top of the social ladder in English wizard society was incredibly and utterly infested with blood purist nonsense and concerning amounts of dark magic, things that she really had no interest in associating with. She could, of course, never tell her uncle Corban about this, as he would have a stroke trying to understand how his beloved sister's daughter could be a blood traitor. There was also her cousin, Uriah, who was sitting pretty in an Azkaban cell and would have certainly have done much more violent things to her should she as much as smile at a muggleborn wizard. Anyways, at the age of eighteen, freshly graduated as a proud product of Slytherin's fine student body, Morrigan took a convenient job that shipped her off to do dangerous work abroad and far from the prying eyes of her stupid fucking family.

She had survived to the ripe old age of twenty-nine, spending ten years as a hit witch and surviving unscathed through them was quite frankly an impressive feat. Her long dark brown hair, which she always kept in an intricate low bun for the sake of convenience, had gotten it's first grey hair just a week before they left for England. She considered this as a success, a mark that she lived long enough as a hit witch to find a grey hair.Although, technically the work she did would probably be considered more like glorified bounty hunting by anyone who read into it close enough. For a long time, Amelia Bones would send her and her partner on the job, Octavian, (who would also become quite quickly her favorite person in the whole world) a list of wanted criminals for them to search and capture across the world. She traveled far and wide, catching bank robbers and beast traffickers and other dicey characters that had escaped Britain. Barty Crouch pulled as many strings as he could, allowing them to get away with enough shenanigans to put Gilderoy Lockhart's cheesy adventure novels out of business. Yet, their decade of life threatening experience, translation manuals, and constant travelling came to a screeching halt when Crouch was murdered.

The news was given to them by a distraught Amelia Bones, who ordered them to stay put in their current station while the mess back in Britain was being figured out. So they remained stranded in Okinawa, which was not the worst place to be stranded in by a long shot. The two got some sun, some rest, and while they were at it they captured a prolific arsonist whom they decided to hand over to the Japanese authorities because shipping him to England would've caused Amelia Bones to flip her shit. In any case, the pair spent a record breaking three weeks without leaving a single place before they finally heard from Amelia. Their initial excitement had dissipated when they read her letter and realized the bitter truth of their current situation.

They were gonna have to go back.

So, they did just that. After the portkey to Paris had caused Octavian to return his dinner quite violently in the middle of a crowded street, they decided to travel in muggle fashion and take a train to London for the sake of his well-being. Morrigan didn't mind, every time she rode a train it reminded her of her times taking the Hogwarts express as a teenager with her friends as they were getting ready for the new school year. Those were simpler times, happier times, times in which Morrigan didn't have to go undercover to capture an illegal dragon breeder in the Canadian black market. Of course, she loved her job and wouldn't trade it for the world, but of all the things she left behind, those memories were the only truly happy ones. Reliving them was comforting and unusual, but welcomed.

Sitting in the train's booth, Octavian had already fallen asleep with his head over his bag and his mouth wide open. Morrigan remained wide awake, thinking, wondering about how she would have to adjust to living back in England. She hadn't informed Corban yet. A knot formed in the pit of her stomach at the thought of dealing with him again. She was almost certain that Corban was a Death Eater, something that he would never admit to someone with the power to arrest him for it. He was really good at washing his hands of guilt, just like Lucius Malfoy and every other pureblood man. They had manipulated Cornelius Fudge to filth, which was one of the reasons why Morrigan appreciated not being under the Minister's direct order. Amelia Bones was a much better alternative, she didn't allow herself to be manipulated or swayed. Some people in the Ministry believed her to be a heartless battleaxe, but Morrigan was certain she was one of the few people working there who still had her soul intact. Even Barty Crouch, who Morrigan was sure wasn't a bad person, had no real concept of justice. She had heard stories of his endeavors when he had Amelia's position, how he allowed his Aurors to kill and torture with impunity. As an agent of the law, Morrigan knew that torture was not just an inhumane way to treat a person, but also a slippery slope for wizards who let power get to their heads. As for the murdering? It simply reminded her of something Uriah would do.

She shifted her thoughts away from the actions of a dead man and dug through the small brown satchel that she was carrying with her. She saw some spare bobby pins, three potion vials containing a pepperup potion, a common potions antidote, and a calming drought respectfully, muggle and magic money, her Ministry badge, and finally at the bottom squished between a compact and a jar of bezoars was the letter from Amelia Bones. Morrigan pulled out the rumpled parchment and re read it's contents one more time. 

"It hasn't changed since last time, Morrigan." Octavian's voice was raspy and tired. 

"I know, I just want to have everything clear before we walk into the Ministry." She responded with calm reassurance.

"Good Merlin, always such a little overachiever." He laughed as he turned around in his comfortable pose so that his back was turned towards her. "Should we get her a gift basket? Maybe some flowers? That way maybe she won't make us stay."

"I think we'll need more than a gift basket and flowers to win over Amelia Bones." Morrigan said as she smirked. "Maybe you can seduce her and she'll let us get out of this."

"First of all, I'm not going to sleep with Amelia for this or any job." The snark in his voice made Morrigan let out a short laugh. He shifted on his seat until he was peaking at her from over his shoulder. "Second of all, you look me in the eye and tell me Amelia Bones is straight."

Morrigan hummed, "That was pretty heteronormative on my part, I apologize." The smile didn't leave her face as her eyes shifted down to the paper, an after effect of Octavian's joke. "But I'm not about to seduce her either."

"Pity, you would've been a great couple." From the corner of her eye, Morrigan saw Octavian snuggle into the seat quietly and she chuckled at what he had said. Amelia wasn't her type, unfortunately. Aside from the fact that Morrigan liked men, Amelia Bones was also much too type A for her. Speaking of Amelia Bones, she began to reread the letter, putting aside any and all distractions. 

_Selwyn and VanBuren,_

_I want to apologize for my lack of contact over these past few weeks. It has been hectic here in the Ministry since the discovery of Barty's death and the events at Hogwarts. I hope your time in Okinawa has not been stressful, and that you find yourself ready to continue with your work as members of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement._

_Presently, I'm requesting your return to Britain. Your presence back home is much more vital during these trying times, and although your labour these past ten years has been remarkable, your skills and experience are best spent keeping us safe here. Rumours of dark times are spreading like wild fire and Britain is changing, although not necessarily for the better._

_Upon your return, you will be joining the detective unit of the Magical Law Enforcement Squad. Essentially, you will be performing the same tasks you did abroad but in a much smaller scale. Your main duties shall remain within major crimes, however it shall be less suspect specific and more crime specific. I will be giving you more details on your new assignment once you return to London._

_The Ministry shall provide you provisional housing until you can make permanent accommodations. I understand that this is a very stark change of lifestyle now forced upon you, but i do hope you understand that it is for the best._

_Seeing you soon,_

_A.S. Bones_

Amelia had written such a nice letter that it almost made Morrigan believe that she did care about them. She wasn't sure what provisional housing meant, but she hoped that it was something somewhat not terrible, because she certainly wasn't going to go crash at uncle Corban's old home. She recalled that as a child, Corban kept a giant stuffed grizzly bear in the guest bedroom and terrified her half to death every night that she spent in that room. When she asked Corban if he could remove the bear because it frightened her, the man actually responded by saying: "Fear builds character." and then refusing to touch the damn thing. One summer after she turned fifteen, Morrigan set the bear on fire in the garden. It was her first act of teenage rebellion. 

She wasn't sure at what moment she fell asleep, but soon she was being woken up by Octavian as their stop drew near. Tired, sore, and cursing at herself for bringing everything except for a muscle relaxing potion, Morrigan grumbled as she stood up. She had used the last of her vitamix the night before, as vitamix was amazing for helping with the migraines she was forced to deal with due to her constant travels. With a crick in the neck and a sore spot in her back, she placed her satchel over her shoulder and followed Octavian out of the train and into the terminal, were she took a moment to stretch before her companion did the same. It was about to get dark,so they would have to get to the Ministry quickly despite their exhaustion. At this point, one would think they would both be pretty used to working on strange sleep schedules and no rest but they really weren't. Octavian could sleep for three days if left unattended and Morrigan had developed a caffeine addiction that was the only thing keeping her from doing to the rest of the European continent what she had done to Corban's stuffed bear. 

After a brief pause by a coffee stand where Morrigan purchased some of the most depressing and sour coffee she had ever tasted in her life, the pair made their way through to the Ministry. Morrigan marveled at how much London had changed since she had last been here, but at the same time it still looked absurdly similar. The old mixed with the new, the flavor of the eighties had been left behind in favor of the sleeker and better looking new decade. She did miss the muggle style of the 80s, it was colorful and lively. She had been fascinated by the 80's as a child, loving the vibrancy and life. 

The Ministry was, surprise surprise, exactly the same as it had always been. They did renovate the statue in the lobby, the one with the wizard and the witch and the elf, but that was the single change that Morrigan could notice. Making their way into the elevator, they traveled with a group of other Ministry workers who either didn't notice nor care about the exhausted faces of the two travelers.

"As far as I'm concerned, you-know-who himself could be in this elevator and I would not give one flying fuck." Octavian muttered into his partner's ear, making her snicker into her coffee cup. 

Walking into the Magical Law Enforcement office, Morrigan was halfway downing the remainder of her cup when she ran head first into another person who was trotting from the opposite direction. She hadn't been looking so it was her own fault, but this did not change the fact that the cup had exploded open and spilled it's contents into the front of her blouse and blazer. Octavian had already walked ahead without her when he turned around and swore loud enough for her to look up, ready to chide him. Then she came to the horrifying realization that the person she had just ran into was none other than somebody she was too familiar with.

"You sure do know how to say hello, huh Kingsley." She said with a tired smile and a raised brow. 

Kingsley Shacklebolt was the kind of man that could be suave and effortlessly handsome, but also had no idea nor care that he was being a flirt. He was the poster child for Gryffindor and it bothered Morrigan just how noble he genuinely was, perhaps from her own experiences living among mostly dicey and morally ambiguous wizards and witches. Still, not even Gryffindor's perfect Auror boy was exempt from embarrassing situations. The tall man's eyes widened before he pulled a bright purple handkerchief from his back pocket and offered it to Morrigan. 

"I'm so sorry, Morrigan." There was a strange tone in his voice, almost as if confused. "I... really did not see you there."

"It's fine, the coffee was already cold by the time we walked into the building." She laughed and took the handkerchief, eyes darting into Kingsley's before looking away. "Thank you."

"What are you doing here? I honestly didn't think I would run into you here of all places." He laughed softly, "You look great by the way,"

"Thank you, I looked a little better before the coffee hit me." She shrugged and returned the handkerchief, which had done little to save her white blouse from the stain. Luckily her blazer was dark enough for the stain to not be visible, but she did stink of coffee now. "Bones requested our return. We're being placed into the detective unit of the MLE squad. We were already in limbo by the time they found out Barty Crouch died, but now it seems like we're permanently stuck here. Funny how things work out, right?"

It wasn't funny. Kingsley and Morrigan had worked together a few years back when an Auror was needed in order to capture a former Death Eater who had started wreaking havoc in Casablanca. During the ten months they were together, both wizards developed a quasi-romantic relationship that could have worked out if it wasn't for the sake of their lifestyles and plans for the future. Kingsley offered to return with her to England, live together, and build a home. Morrigan found herself having to pick, and she decided quite quickly that she would rather have the job she loved and the freedom she so desired over following Kingsley into a predictable and comfortable lifestyle where she knew she would end up utterly unhappy. Kingsley, fortunately, understood her decision. They parted in good terms, even writing to each other every once in a while. In a sense, through all this, Morrigan thought they had a higher chance of happiness as friends than they ever did as lovers. She still wasn't sure if Kingsley believed in the same thing, however, and quite frankly she didn't want to know.

"Well, Bones's office is right down the hall." He tucked his handkerchief away, picking up the empty coffee cup for her and turning over to look at Octavian. The two men greeted silently with a handshake. "It's good to see both of you."

"Well you'll be seeing plenty of us soon." Morrigan smirked and placed her hand on Octavian's arm to guide him, "We should have lunch to catch up. You buy the coffee."

Kingsley chuckled in response and waved at them as the pair began to make their way down the hallway. As soon as they were out of sight, Octavian burst into quiet laughter and Morrigan rather violently gripped his shoulders as she attempted to keep herself from collapsing out of embarrassment. The mortification on her face at that moment was so apparent that it brought Octavian into an almost hysterical fit of giggles. In silent hushes, the two made their way down their path all the while really resembling two school children back at Hogwarts. All she needed was her Slytherin scarf and a scolding professor in the distance telling them to go back to Potions class.

They reached the door and straightened up, stifling their giggles.

"I'm meeting the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and I'm covered in coffee." She muttered annoyingly. 

"Just button your blazer and it won't look so bad."

"Don't you dare lie to me, Octavian." The mutter brought out another giggle from Octavian. Still, she buttoned her blazer and adjusted her blouse and found that, while it did help, it was a lot like putting a pretty bow on a rabid doxy, but Amelia had just uprooted them and changed the entire nature of their employment so if she had to deal with a little coffee stains then so be it.

They opened the door to a smaller vestibule. Two desks sat in front of them with two young women writing away, one of them turning to look and smile as they entered. She was a pretty girl, possibly not long out of Hogwarts, with curly black hair tied in a pony-tail. Morrigan turned to look around the room. There were four doors with different names written on little silver plaques over them, so quite the traditional Ministry office setting. What made Morrigan dubious was that one of the doors, the one furthest to them to the back wall, was entirely painted an unusual shade of cherry blossom pink. One of the secretaries began to make her way towards them and smiled as she stood before them. Morrigan glanced at her partner who had a rather befuddled expression as he stared at the pink door, so she decided to speak up for both of them.

"Ah yes, we have a meeting with Amelia Bones." She said calmly. "Selwyn and Van Buren from the international division, I'm afraid we had a little delay in our travels." She didn't add that considering how they were in fucking Japan just a few hours ago, they actually were making great time. 

"Oh it's alright, right this way. She's been expecting you in the conference room." The secretary gestured at the other woman who nodded and waved for her to go. Soon the three of them walked out of the offices and across the hall, opening the door for a beautifully decorated conference room that reminded Morrigan of her father's dining room. The deep mahogany of the table and the scents of books and pine were almost instantly relaxing, the walls even matched the same shade as those in Morrigan’s childhood home. Sitting in one of the chairs was the woman of the hour, slender and dark haired Amelia Bones in her office robes stood up and smiled at the sight of them, making their way over to shake their hands with an unusually soft look in her eyes that brought a sense of wonder to Morrigan.

"Thank you Lottie," She said to the secretary who smiled sweetly and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. Amelia gestured for them to take a seat in one of the intricately carved wooden chairs which, despite being beautiful, Morrigan would quickly find out they were really uncomfortable. The three sat rather close together, making the room feel unnecessarily large due to their closeness. 

"It's good to see you two, I hope your travels went well." Amelia's voice was soft yet authoritative, like the voice of an experienced mother. It commanded respect but also emanated a type of warmth that allowed anyone who listened to it to trust it absolutely. It mirrored the tone of voice of Minerva McGonagall.

"We had some trouble with the portkey but... otherwise it went well." Octavian spoke before Morrigan could even think of making a joke on his expense.

"Yes, I received your notice." Amelia stifled a smile rather unsuccessfully. "I hope you're feeling well."

"Morrigan always carries all sorts of healing potions around, it wasn't the end of the world." 

"That's good to hear." The head of department placed her hands on the table as if to gather her thoughts. "Your official transfer has gone through without a hitch, no one has questioned it nor noticed it."

The two partners immediately glanced at each other, neither expecting those words to come out of their superior's mouth.

"What do you mean?" Morrigan asked.

"A lot has happened since you were gone," She began "The Triwizard tournament brought with it the death of a seventeen year old boy at Hogwarts as well as the murder of Barty and the arrest of his son. Some of my higher ups have begun to display a desire to silence any and all talk about what is happening, but as members of this world's justice system we cannot allow that."

"Why would the Ministry try to keep a string of murders and arrests silent." Octavian asked. Amelia carried her voice similarly to someone who has a newborn sleeping in the next room. It sparked concern from Morrigan and a frown from Octavian.

"The boy who died was Cedric Diggory, one of Hogwart's champions for the tournament. The other was Harry Potter." The name made Octavian and Morrigan look at each other again. "No one is sure what happened, the boys along with the two international champions were sent into a maze to retrieve a cup as part of the challenge. Two champions ended up hexed, one of them under the Imperius curse. Potter returned with Diggory's body and the cup saying that... that Lord Voldemort has returned."

There was a deafening silence, one where both Octavian and Morrigan had completely dismissed the fact that Bones had just said the unspeakable name of the darkest wizard in history and instead were trying to simply process the actual nature of what she had just said. Morrigan’s mind raced, first to the logical conclusion that this had to be a mistake, that Potter was clearly involved in this somehow and if that wasn't the case then he had to have been in shock, that whatever had killed Diggory had made the boy spit out nonsense. Her mind tried to find a solution, to solve the puzzle with the few pieces Amelia had presented to them without actually accepting Potter's words. She knew that it couldn't be true, because if it was... then it meant that this was far bigger than a simple murder case.

"How... what?" Octavian spoke first, holding the same confusion that Morrigan had.

"Some Death Eaters have shown darkening marks, there are signs that the Death Eaters are forming again, rumors in Azkaban." Amelia glanced down at her hands. "The dead boy in the tournament was just the beginning of something, but the Ministry doesn't want to admit it, doesn't want to investigate it as a dark magic case."

"So the Aurors aren't allowed to touch the Diggory case." Morrigan reasoned out loud and her thoughts were confirmed by Amelia who nodded silently.

"There's more. Reports were made about evidence of tampering within the cup that both of the boys brought back with them, evidence it was turned into a portkey." She ran her tongue over her teeth in frustration, "The cup has since... disappeared. Lost in the evidence locker along with Barty Crouch Jr's wand."

"You're kidding."

"No. I had Alastor grill the Aurors and allegedly none of them did it. My thought is that someone in the squad must have tipped off the higher ups and they just did away with it." She shook her head, "The point is, despite the Ministry adamant refusal to take Diggory's death to the Aurors, it's still a death. A murder."

"And murders are major crimes." Octavian glanced at Morrigan as he said this, face lighting up like a Christmas tree.

Amelia nodded, "It is because of this that I'm handing the investigation over to you, two fresh faces, free of bias due to the distance you put between you and the Ministry all these years. Morrigan, you carry a hefty last name, they can't deny you the investigation." Amelia's dark brown eyes met Morrigan’s blue ones. For a moment, Morrigan could feel a bit of irony at the fact that all this time she had carried a strong distaste for her family only for it to be working in her favor at the moment. "I'm putting you both in charge of the Diggory case. Anything you find, you make a copy and then you give the original straight to me. I don't want anything you find to be eliminated or buried away by the rest of the Ministry.The best thing we can do at the moment is to be as direct and transparent as possible. You'll have to interview the four contestants, along with every member of the Hogwarts staff and anyone who had contact with Diggory and Barty Crouch Junior. Write to Dumbledore and be polite, clear, and honest. If I had to put money into it, that man will let you have all the resources you need if it comes to shedding light into the situation."

"My question is, how much red tape are we going to run into?" Morrigan asked. 

"You're going to have to jump through more hoops than a trained kneazle." Amelia's nonchalant answer made Octavian snort. "But I trust you two, you've proven consistently that you're capable of bringing people to justice despite the hardships you find along the way. I'm giving you this assignment because you're very much qualified and because you're the type of people we need right now."

"And what type of people are those, Mrs. Bones?" Octavian had a half smile on his face as he spoke.

"People who care about the safety of the people in this country more than about censorship." She shook her head, "I suppose I have to ask you: will you do it?"

Octavian and Morrigan shared one last glance, silently speaking using only their eyees. For a moment neither said anything, until finally Morrigan opened her mouth to answer Amelia's question.

"When can we start?"

* * *

_After two days in the desert sun_   
_My skin began to turn red_   
_After three days in the desert fun_   
_I was looking at a river bed_   
_And the story it told of a river that flowed_   
_Made me sad to think it was dead_

* * *

The flat in London where Morrigan and Octavian had been placed into for the time being was a comfortable yet tiny thing. Although both partners had practically lived together over the years, jumping from hotels to motels to even the occasional camping trip, Morrigan was already planning on finding a place of her own. For a moment, she considered the old Selwyn house in the outskirts of Oxford that, by all legal standards, still belonged to her. It had been abandoned for over twenty years now, however, not to mention that it still carried the weight of the deaths that happened within it. As she lay on the plain white bed sheets of her temporary bed, she came to the realization that she was the now the only person who could do anything about that house _'It's the Selwyn family's ancestral home.'_ she considered, bobbing the ankle that was laying above her knee. Perhaps it could fetch a pretty penny, although it would have to be heavily restored and cleaned due to it's neglect. One thing was for sure, it was far too big for just her alone in it. 

For the time being, she would start looking for flats near the ministry. Money wasn't an issue, and dealing with muggle neighbors was also not something that bothered her. If Corban asked, she could just lie, say that it was about convenience and then never have to visit him due to 'work taking up all of her time.' She had to tell him she was here, if he were to find out before that then she would never hear the end of it. 

Morrigan sat up and glanced at the shoes she had removed earlier and at the crumpled up blouse next to them. One thing she had to learn when constantly travelling is the art of packing lightly, and when magic was involved, packing lightly was as easy as a simple enlargement charm. Morrigan pulled her purse closer and unzipped the pocket inside the lining of her purse, turning it over and allowing for the entirety of her wardrobe to be vomited out of the bag and over onto the bed. She lifted her wand to open the drawers on the dresser next to the door, and while she rummaged for a shirt to put on, the clothes began fly into their appropriate drawers. When it came to her work, Morrigan was neat and surgically precise, maintaining herself as an impeccable image of the ideal DMLE official, not to mention her pristine filing and organizing habits. When it came to her personal belongings, however, Morrigan couldn't give any less of a shit. Things could be bought again or mended, and everything would go back to a mess anyway so what did it really matter in the end. It was the curse of impermanence, it made her not think about the long term future. 

After she put on an old t-shirt with the words ' _Durmstrang Quidditch Team'_ written in faded letters, she slid out of her work trousers and found a pair of sweatpants that Octavian and her had both worn so many times that neither knew who originally owned them anymore. She was sure the shirt wasn't hers, she had never attended Durmstrang and it was two sizes too big. She was tall like her mother, 175 centimetres to be exact, and just as tall as Octavian. This is why she often stole his clothes, and he had gotten so used to it he didn't even bitch anymore when she would sneak into his bedroom to rummage through his drawers.

Morrigan walked into the living room to find Octavian sitting on the couch, criminal file on hand and a bowl of cereal in the other. She sighed and shook her head, stretching as she approached him.

"You know," She began, "We really should work on not eating so much garbage."

"Maybe," He answered, "But I've seen you go four days without anything other than coffee and Venezuelan arepas."

"Yeah, true." Morrigan shrugged, dropping down beside her friend and putting her feet up to the coffee table before them. "Where do we even begin with this mess of a case, Octavian?"

Octavian glanced at her and let out a sigh, leaning over to her so she could read the file that he had in his hands. It was a picture of the victim, a good looking teenage boy who was smiling for a portrait. Right next to it was another picture of the boy, now cold and lifeless, being grieved by the immediately recognizable face of Harry Potter. It was a real tragedy, but Morrigan was so jaded by all the things she had seen at this point that all she could do was analyze the surroundings of the picture. She recognized the area as the Hogwarts Quidditch pitch, and the people that stood behind Potter were all distantly familiar yet too blurry to make out. 

"I think we go to Hogwarts," Octavian said, Morrigan did not remove her eyes from the picture. "The autopsy report gave us nothing short of what we expected."

"Ah, Killing curse." 

"Mhm." Octavian hummed.

"Call me daft but I don't think a fourteen year old is capable of casting a killing curse." She flipped through the pages to the coroner's report, stating exactly what Octavian had said. Morrigan turned back to the first page written by the first responders and found herself staring back at the picture. "At least not a normal fourteen year old."

"We need to investigate the kids." Octavian sounded defensive, almost as if he was stating it as a last resort. "Potter and Diggory's permanent records are at Hogwarts, we go through those and investigate."

"We're going to have to interview the staff as well." Morrigan turned to her best friend. "Then their friends, partners, parents..."

"I fucking hate interviewing parents." Octavian rolled his eyes. "They're always hit or miss."

"Well, you've gotta understand that they're grieving." Morrigan went back to the paper, "Not everyone was raised by heartless bastards like we were."

"Mm." Octavian shrugged. "Your parents were nice."

"My parents were nice _to me._ " She shook her head softly. "Not so much with the rest of the world. Then they died and I was sent with Corban, who didn't really care who he was being terrible to."

"Can't wait to meet him." Octavian's sarcasm was almost palpable and Morrigan snorted. He placed his hands before him as if to paint a picture. "Two assholes meeting each other. An unstoppable force meets an immovable object."

"That, thankfully, can wait." Morrigan un-clipped the picture of the crime scene from the folder and pulled it closer to her face. She realized just then why she kept looking back at that picture, she recognized one of the grainy individuals displayed in it. Once she did, an idea festered into her brain like a pox, possibly brought about by this whole conversation on difficult individuals. If Amelia Bones wanted them to do their job thoroughly, it was only natural that Octavian and Morrigan would interview every member of the Hogwarts staff. Of all the people that could have information about dark magic being involved in this, it would be the one member of the Hogwarts staff with unshakable ties to Lord Voldemort himself. Morrigan handed the picture to Octavian, who took it and glanced at her expectantly. 

"Meanwhile, a thought has occurred to me." She folded her hands over her chest, and gave Octavian a smirk. "I'm going to pay a visit to my old head of house."

* * *

_After nine days I let the horse run free_   
_'Cause the desert had turned to sea_   
_There were plants and birds and rocks and things_   
_there was sand and hills and rings_   
_The ocean is a desert with it's life underground_   
_And a perfect disguise above_   
_Under the cities lies a heart made of ground_   
_But the humans will give no love_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: A Horse With No Name by America  
> This story is the first one of a series, each one focusing on the relationship between Morrigan and Severus before, during, and after the war. The story isn't as much of a love story as it is a story with love in it.


	2. For What it's Worth

_There's something happening here_   
_What it is ain't exactly clear_   
_There's a man with a gun over there_   
_Telling me I got to beware_

_I think it's time we stop, children, what's that sound_   
_Everybody look what's going down_

* * *

Morrigan had never been to Hogwarts during the summertime. The lake's water was vibrant and beautiful, much more appealing than the murky and sad hues of green and grey that was usually seen after August. As she walked down the steps of the bridge, she considered that perhaps she should have worn a lighter robe to today's mission. The caped robe that she was wearing reached below her knees and although it wasn't the warmest thing she owned, it certainly wasn't keeping her any cooler. There were whispers of a heat wave hitting England this summer, something that would be unfortunate for wizards and witches that still wore the same fashion from 300 years ago. As the pair reached the doors to the school, Morrigan felt the familiar thrill of a Hogwarts student arriving for their first day of the classes for the year. She had to keep reminding herself that she was only visiting, that she was working on a serious case and not there to have supper at the great hall and go to charms class. 

"Morrigan, take a look at that." Octavian nudged at his friend, causing her to look away from the door and towards the opposite side of the bridge where a small figure was approaching. As the distance between them grew shorter, Morrigan realized that it was a small tabby cat. Upon this realization, she quickly understood just who she was looking at and was about to tell Octavian when the woman herself left her animagus form and transformed back into her human figure. Minerva McGonagall wore a tartan robe of burgundy and brown as she approached the duo with a soft smile on her face, still mostly unchanged from the woman that had taught Morrigan all those years ago.

"Miss Selwyn," McGonagall said once she was about a meter away from them. "It certainly is good to see you again after all these years."

"It's good to see you too professor," She responded warmly, "This here is my partner in this investigation, Octavian Van Buren."

Octavian extended his hand to the woman, charming smile on his lips not being reciprocated by Minerva McGonagall. Morrigan always found it quite interesting how Octavian could elicit comfort with everyone he met, but she guessed that Minerva was an exception. "A pleasure to meet you, professor. I've heard great things about you."

"I would sure hope so," She mused lightly. "Come in, I assume everyone is already expecting you. Albus certainly is."

The pair watched as Minerva waved her wand to allow the doors to open, revealing the entrance hall of Hogwarts and causing a familiar thrill to run down Morrigan's spine. They followed her into the castle and towards the corridors until they reached the moving staircases. As they waited for one of the massive staircases to move back into their position, Minerva turned to the two and smiled warmly.

"From what we've gathered, you were working abroad, weren't you Morrigan?" 

Morrigan smiled at the older witch, "I certainly have. We've been just about everywhere working in fugitive apprehension. It's hard work but I loved every minute of it." 

"Seeing the world and catching bad guys," Octavian muttered as the staircase shifted finally in their direction. "Honestly, what's not to love."

"Sounds like you two enjoyed it," Minerva hummed with a gentle look, "It must be difficult to adapt to this new situation," 

"Could be worse." Octavian shrugged, "At least we haven't been axed by the ministry yet."

Morrigan gave her partner a pointed glance, which he responded with a defensive shrug. She muttered a scolding comment about keeping his trap shut and he rolled his eyes, a whole ordeal which Morrigan would come to realize was entirely caught by Minerva. A pink tint colored Morrigan's cheeks as the older witch turned away and began to walk up the stairs, the other two following.

"Everyone is waiting in the staff room," Minerva said, "Is any particular protocol followed in this situation?"

"Well, we'd like to find a private place to conduct our interviews. An empty classroom or a hall would work." Morrigan stated as they stepped off the moving staircase and into the hallway, "We would like to speak to professor Dumbledore beforehand to discuss a few things."

"Of course," McGonagall said. They reached a large wooden door, a sign next to it read the words ' _Staff Room'_ in small cursive letters. "Would you mind waiting here for just a moment?"

"Not at all, Ma'am." Octavian smiled as she made her way towards the door. As soon as she was out of sight, Morrigan grasped Octavian's arm and dragged him until they stood far from the door and on the opposite side of the hall. 

"You can't be making jokes about the Ministry right now, Octavian." She hissed. 

"And why the hell should I not when the Ministry is a joke in itself right now." He responded calmly, leaning against the grey stone between the massive windows that stood on the walls of the hall. The sun poured through the glass and reflected itself on Octavian's dark face, causing his brown eyes to shine like bright amber. "You're being paranoid, Morrigan."

"I'm really not," She responded, "We need to keep others from suspecting that we have something against the Ministry-"

"-Why?!"

"-Because they're still our fucking employers you dunderhead!" Their hisses were interrupted by the opening door, and the two watched Albus Dumbledore walk out the door with a soft smile on his face. He was wearing a vibrant purple robe and the usual half moon spectacles that he had sported the entire time Morrigan had been a student. He also looked exactly the same as he did all those years ago. Dumbledore had always been a mysterious figure to most students, a sort of feral entity that appeared only in the most convenient or strangest of timest. She recalled an occasion when she was twelve years old when he caught her walking out of the forbidden section with three stolen books and rather than reprimand her had instead recommended another one that he was particularly fond of. He then helped explain the libraries categorization system, gave her a piece of licorice, and walked away humming the school's anthem. Now he was standing before her with a smile like the strange, strange man that he was. 

Morrigan smiled with the sweetness of a child wanting to get her way and greeted the wizard with a handshake, the door shutting behind him. "It's a pleasure to see you again, sir."

"Oh the pleasure is mine, Morrigan." The name was strange coming from him. How bizarre that someone could find their own name foreign to their ears. "I'm happy you're here. Hogwarts will always welcomes back it's students."

"The reception has been quite warm, especially with this weather." As Octavian spoke, Dumbledore chuckled and offered his hand to the younger man. "It's great to see the man who I worked so hard to find in the chocolate frog cards!"

Morrigan had to laugh at that, and Dumbledore did too. 

"You must be Octavian Van Buren." His tone was light and airy. "Amelia Bones has already told me all about you. I have to say, Durmstrang does make charming students."

"It really doesn't," The younger man spoke between breaths of laughter at the simple thought of it. Morrigan had heard all about the rigid structure of Durmstrang, and how it made Hogwarts seem like something of an amusement park. As she mused this, Dumbledore responded with a smile as he gestured down the hall for them to follow. It seemed that thus far, the two had only spent their day being herded into places like stray sheep.

They reached the end of the hallway and walked inside a classroom. Morrigan immediately recognized it as the room where she had, quite regretfully, chosen to take alchemy in her fourth year. The whole ordeal had been spurred by a confidence that her talent in potions class during the past few years could mean a successful career in alchemy. The truth was that mathematics and potions were as delightful a combination as mixing ammonia and bleach, and Morrigan had ended up spending many late nights trying to drill the teachings of her Alchemy professor into her brain. It had been awful, and at the time a new potions professor had also turned the way the class was taught upside down and was now making her grades struggle. Truth be told, looking back, she couldn't really blame Severus Snape for all the trouble he went through in his first year as a teacher. He was 21 and many of those he was trying to teach had watched him grow up around the school. It was hard for him to earn respect. Many of the Slytherins gave him a break, thankful that they didn't have to deal with Slughorn's elitist nonsense anymore. 

They entered the classroom and took a seat in one of the empty tables that had ample room for several books and cauldrons. Dumbledore sat across from them and waved his wand to close the door, folding his hands before him after he did this.

"Professor," Morrigan began, "I hope you understand that this is a rudimentary procedure. Due to the nature of what happened a few weeks ago, we needed to conduct a thorough investigation of what happened before coming to conclusions. "

"I see," Dumbledore began with a smile. "I absolutely understand, and I'm quite grateful for Amelia's decision to send both of you here. Lord Voldemort's return isn't something that must be taken lightly."

Morrigan opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. Octavian almost choked on his own tongue. 

"Professor..." Octavian said, once regaining his composure. "We can't immediately jump into the conclusion that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has returned. Our job is to investigate the death of Cedric Diggory-"

"-Cedric Diggory was killed by Lord Voldemort-"

"-Still." Octavian placed a hand in front of him as if to calm the wizard down despite the fact that Dumbledore had remained entirely composed during the entire conversation. Morrigan bit the inside of her cheek and realized that Dumbledore had made up his mind. The man may be wise and remarkably talented, but he was also surprisingly good at getting his way. "If that is the case then we must gather all the evidence necessary to prove, without a shred of doubt, that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was responsible for the death of Cedric Diggory." 

How Octavian had said that in a single breath was not clear to Morrigan . What was clear was the smile that formed on Dumbledore's face after he said this.

"Professor," Morrigan placed a hand flat on the table, "I want you to understand that our job is to present the truth, because it's our only hope to bring some sense into the minds of the people we work for. If it were up to us... Lord Voldemort's return wouldn't even be an option for consideration here." Octavian turned to look at her as if she had just said the single most offensive word in the English language at the sound of her uttering the dark Lord's name. She herself had an almost physical reaction to the words that left her lip, but she knew it was the only way to get this man to trust her. "We aren't here to pick the ending, we're here to find the truth."

Dumbledore's eyes glistened strangely at her, but Octavian kept staring at her with a demented and horrified look that was completely ignored by the other two people sitting on that table. Morrigan made a decision there, one that she knew would establish their position in this whole ordeal quite well.

"We'd like to speak to professor Snape first." Octavian now looked away. Morrigan knew him well enough to piece together that he was outstandingly annoyed with her at this point. Dumbledore smiled and nodded at her and she continued. "Once we've interviewed the staff, we'd like to take a look at both Harry and Cedric's disciplinary and personal records and later go over the location where the body was found."

"Of course, I will have Hagrid escort you to the pitch. It will be no problem to cooperate in your investigation." He spoke with a tenderness that he didn't have before. Before Morrigan could respond, he had reached out a hand to touch her own gently. "Thank you for taking the time to do this."

"It's no problem." She smiled and gave a soft nod as Dumbledore removed his hand and stood up, making his way around the table and towards the door.

"Victoria," He said, making her turn around and look at him. "You're quite a remarkable Slytherin."

She responded with a smile as he walked out the door, allowing it to shut behind him slowly and almost painfully. The second the door closed with a dull thud, Octavian sprung to his feet, hands in the air as if he had just been startled. It was highly unusual for a wizard to use Morrigan's first name rather than her second. She had become so accustomed to being called "Morrigan" that she didn't even introduce herself as Victoria anymore. Legally she was still Victoria Morrigan Selwyn, but in her mind and the minds of the average wizard she was just "Morrigan." Dumbledore, however, wasn't a normal wizard and she knew this. Morrigan watched as Octavian slowly settled his hands on the table and leaned towards her.

”Just what in Merlin’s name are you doing?” He hissed, “Saying You-Know-Who’s name?This is not what we agreed on doing before coming here, Morrigan?!”

She stood up, beginning her usual nervous pace around the room. “I needed to get him to trust us, he thinks we’re Ministry envoys right now-“

”We are Ministry envoys!”

”No, we’re here to do a job without an agenda, remember? That's what Amelia Bones asked of us.” She stood opposite from him on the other side of the table, one hand pointing an accusatory finger. “And in order to do our bloody job we need to get him to let us do it.”

”He’s onto you, he called you a Slytherin-“

”A remarkable one at that-“

”Isn’t that a massive red flag to you? Now he’s sending in his favorite spy-“

”Exactly!” She leaned towards him, “Just trust me, Octavian. When have I ever failed you?”

Octavian stared at his partner with an unamused scowl and huffed as he took a seat slowly and deliberately. His arms folded before him as Morrigan's face slowly allowed a satisfied smile to grow. She unbuttoned her coat and slid it off her shoulders, settling it above one of the chairs loosely. Rolling up her sleeves as she did every time that she had to perform an interrogation, she glanced at Octavian who maintained the annoyed expression he had given her before. Morrigan adjusted a loose strand of brown hair, tucking it behind her ear as she considered an important question: _did she actually know what she was doing?_ Dumbledore was certainly a questionable individual, someone that Morrigan was unsure if she trusted completely. She pondered this in silence, not bothering to even turn to her partner. This silence went uninterrupted until the door to the classroom opened with a high creak, making both hit wizards turn their attention to the figure that approached them.

Severus Snape was an easily recognizable man. His pale skin contrasted starkly with his jet black hair, falling over his ears and framing his perpetually scowling face. As he approached, his billowing black robe following him, his eyes met with Morrigan's and she smiled. Much to Octavian's own surprise, the notoriously grim dungeon bat responded with a smirk of his own, and he saw as Morrigan made her way with an enthusiasm she hadn't seen in her for a long time. He offered his hand to her, which she took with a genuine smile. 

"It's good to see you, Severus." She said softly. His hands were freezing cold, as if he had just pulled them out of an icebox. 

"I suppose there's no use in making you call me professor anymore, Selwyn." He spoke in his usual low baritone, his voice as oily as his hair. "It's been a long time."

The last time she saw her old head of house, she was boarding the boats to exit Hogwarts after graduation. He was 24 years old, still looking similar to how he did when he graduated Hogwarts not that long before. Morrigan had never been a prefect, nor had she been head girl, but she knew him well. The first time she ever saw Severus Snape, he was a lanky teenager who hated the world and wanted nothing more than to leave Hogwarts. During that year, the other young Slytherin Death Eaters who had a taste for dark magic and a desire to climb their way up the ranks of the Dark Lord, decided that Corban Yaxley's niece was the best way to do that. With a desire to take her under their wing, they began attempts to groom her into joining them. They promised knowledge, power, acceptance... everything that an orphan girl with no one else in the world but her Death Eater uncles could hope for. 

For four years, Morrigan fell into the trap that so many vulnerable young Slytherins did when they walked into Hogwarts. Dark magic was a comforting power, a drug that offered answers to all the chaos created at home. She could be mean and destructive when she thought she was threatened, ending up in Slughorn's office for offenses that would scare her professors but make her uncle horrifyingly proud. She carried an anger with her that fueled her thirst for knowledge by heinous means that honestly should have made more grown ups concerned. She he had already made plans to take the mark as soon as she turned sixteen, deciding then and there that was no better option for a future. Then, one day, the Dark Lord was dead.

Morrigan felt her whole plan crumble and her world change. Corban went ballistic, Uriah was arrested, and her home life became so unbearable that when she returned to Hogwarts, she wasn't entirely sure what she would do. As she stood there in the strange limbo that came after the war, in came the former Death Eater as her new head of house, and he was not the meek and easily manipulated professor that Morrigan was used to dealing with as Slughorn was. She was scrubbing cauldrons on her second day, and through constant detentions and punishments and more than one heart-to-heart about the realities of the world and the path she was following, Morrigan managed to slowly but surely realize that dark magic wasn't any kind of a solution for the problems she was dealing with. The world shifted for her during that tough year, puberty and emotional maturity all came to her in the span of the same twelve months. Suddenly, everything wasn't so simple and direct, the world was built in shades of grey and there was more side to the stories she had been hearing about her whole life. Morrigan slowly became nicer, warmer. She wasn't picking fights and her grades were improving so much so that her professors began pulling her aside after class to congratulate her. She made _friends._ Friends from all kinds of backgrounds who taught her how to not be such an intolerant prat. All of this was happening because someone made an attempt to help her when she was just fourteen.

Her knowledge of dark magic wasn't a waste in it's entirety because it would translate quite well into a talent for defense against the dark arts. Morrigan adored charms and martial magic, but still felt a semblance of guilt from what she did and went through as a girl. She made a decision that she wouldn't make the best Auror. She accepted an offer to go through hit witch training and work abroad and the rest was history, but none of it would've been possible if it wasn't for that faithful year. She still wrote to her old potions professor (who, to be completely fair, wasn't very old at all when he was teaching her) but she hadn't seen him since she left all those years ago. All she could think about now as she was standing before him was that, in truth, he was shorter than she remembered. 

_'Or maybe I've just grown.'_ she thought whilst smiling _'In more ways than one."_

She wasn't sure at what point Octavian had moved towards her but now he stood right beside her, offering his hand to Snape who took it with the same cold uncertainty of a stray cat approaching a dog. Morrigan folded her arms before her and gestured towards her fellow hit wizard.

"This is officer Octavian Van Buren." Octavian shook Severus's hand with the pleasant smile that he gave anybody he wanted to win over. Morrigan raised a curious brow at Severus; his expression was filled with mistrust. 

"Thank you for agreeing to meet with us, professor." Octavian said.

"Don't thank me." The potions professor spoke each word deliberately, causing Octavian to quickly glance at Morrigan for some kind of moral support. 

"Well, why don't we take a seat?" Morrigan clasped her hands together and gestured towards the table. The two men nodded and followed Morrigan, who sat opposite of Severus and smiled softly at him as Octavian removed a small box from his coat pocket. As Octavian opened it, a bright red quill flew out along with a notepad and began levitating in thin air about twenty centimetres from Octavian's head. The wizard glanced at it before turning to his partner and nodding softly. Morrigan leaned down towards her coat and pulled out the Diggory file, resting it on the table before her and plopping open the cover. She then turned her attention to Severus, who seemed to be watching her actions closely.

"Severus, I want you to know that anything you tell us will be strictly confidential and will only be used for investigation purposes." Morrigan began, folding her hands before her. She had memorized this speech years ago, and funny enough the first time she learned it was in French. These days she could easily remember and recite it, but the more she held on to Severus's intense gaze, the more she felt the instinctive need to look away. She wasn't sure why. "Should you desire to not continue this interview, there is no legal or magical bind that can hold you here, and thus you are free to go at any moment. If you choose to continue, however, you must swear that everything you are about to say on legal record will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Do you wish to continue?"

"Yes, I do."

"Tell me about Cedric Diggory."

* * *

_There's battle lines being drawn_   
_Nobody's right if everybody's wrong_   
_Young people speaking their minds_   
_Getting so much resistance from behind_

_It's time we stop, hey, what's that sound_   
_Everybody look what's going down_

* * *

_"He was a bright boy!" Professor Sprout's voice was high and highly accented, but sweet. She placed a hand on her chest as she recalled. "The boy was a natural leader with a talent for Quidditch. You know, when he first was sorted into Hufflepuff, he came to greet me personally and tell me that he would try his best to make his house proud. Every one of my students was devastated for the loss."_

_"I'm sorry to hear that, professor. Could you tell us if Cedric had any close friends or enemies?"_

* * *

_"Mr. Diggory had a relationship with a student of my house." Flitwick nodded as he spoke, his tone almost musical. "Her name is Cho Chang, but of course I don't like to meddle in the personal affairs of my students so there isn't more I could tell you about their personal relationship. The poor girl was devastated, and it is understandable when someone you love meets such a horrible end. He was also close to several other Hufflepuffs, and it is honestly no surprise the boy was chosen as a champion. He had the talent and the intelligence for it!"_

_"Tell me about the tournament. What happened during the choosing of the champions?"_

* * *

_"Cedric Diggory was supposed to be the last champion." Minerva McGonagall kept her propriety with every question asked, and maintained herself calm and concise. "The goblet had already chosen Mr. Viktor Krum from Durmstrang and Fleur Delacour from Beauxbatons, Diggory's name was chosen and we all thought it to be over. Then, Harry Potter's name came up."_

_"The goblet only would allow students 17 year or older to submit their names into the tournament. How did Potter's name even get there?"_

* * *

_"A great question really," Dumbledore stroked his beard as he spoke, recalling the events of the tournament. "At the moment, we all thought the exact same thing. I asked Harry calmly if he put his name in the goblet of fire and he said no. Quite frankly, the boy had no desire to participate in the tournament and no reason to lie. It was decided between all of us that Harry should still participate as the goblet had deemed he was worthy of it. You would have thought that Mr. Diggory would have reacted negatively to the whole thing, but true to his house's nature the boy demonstrated quite remarkable sportsmanship and generosity. From my perspective, Cedric and Harry got along quite well. Regarding the goblet, however, it was found that Bartemius Crouch Jr disguised as Alastor Moody put his name in it under the orders of Lord Voldemort."_

_"Could you explain to us how Cedric's death relates to the tampering of the goblet and Barty Crouch?"_

* * *

"Barty Crouch had been in the service of the Dark Lord from the very beginning." Severus shrugged as his eyes wondered off, a tired expression flashing before them before the usual stoicism that they usually carried returned. "I'm sure you have all the things that he did to Moody written down, but everything he did was under the Dark Lord's command. The plan was to force Potter to compete, take down the other competitors, and make sure he touched the cup first. The cup was a portkey, you probably already know that."

"You would think." Octavian muttered before glancing up to the quill and pointing a finger at the flying feather. "Oi, scratch that out."

"Off the record, Severus." Morrigan said as she glanced at the quill, which upon hearing those words stopped moving and remained perfectly still. It wouldn't take notes of whatever Morrigan said next and she knew it, it was a great spell for keeping things from the Ministry. "The evidence locker holding the cup and Crouch's wand was tampered. There is no evidence linking Crouch to it. They had him for kidnap, fleeing custody and attempted murder, but nothing on You-Know-Who."

Severus stared at Morrigan wordlessly for a moment. Both Octavian and herself looked positively exhausted and exasperated at that fact, and they were absolutely feeling that way too. The tampering of the whole investigation was not only making the two detectives have to work twice as hard for half the results, but it also revealed just how far some wizards within the ministry were willing to go to hide the truth. Morrigan drummed her fingers on the table and bit the inside of her cheek again, perhaps now the reality of the situation was dawning on her. 

Severus shook his head. "That can't be possible." 

"The Ministry doesn't want to believe that You-Know-Who is alive." Octavian's voice was slow and methodical, as if he was trying to explain the situation without getting himself in trouble. "They don't want to incite unnecessary panic."

"We're only allowed here because Amelia Bones suspected this was more than just a murder." Morrigan explained. Quite frankly, she was quite positive at this point that Bones was right, but she wouldn't say that out loud. 

Octavian released a cynical chuckle, as if he knew it would be a fruitless pursuit. Severus glanced from one to the other and drew in a long breath.

"I see." Severus said. He allowed his fingers to interlock before him, his posture now proper and polite rather than imposing. Morrigan glanced at his hands and realized that she had never been this close to him before. She noticed that his fingers were long, graceful, but covered in small scars from years of brewing potions. His sleeves were pulled back slightly revealing slender wrists as pale as the rest of his skin. She snapped her direction away, hoping he hadn't noticed. A second after she did this, Severus spoke again. "Is there anything else you need from me?"

His voice brought Morrigan to her senses and she glanced at Octavian, who nodded and swayed his hand over the quill which forced it to return to it's previous writing position.

"Yes," She cleared her throat and looked up at his eyes again, watching the outline of her reflection in them. "Would you be comfortable answering some questions about your connection to He-Who-Must-Not-be-Named?"

He said nothing for a second, then he blinked for what seemed like the first time in forever. "Regarding what, exactly."

Morrigan glanced down, before her eyes went back to Severus and was surprised to find them carrying a weight that they didn't have before. "I am familiar, due to my line of work, to the properties of the Dark Mark. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the mark gets darker when the Dark Lord is present?"

"The mark gets darker when the Dark Lord summons it's followers," Severus responded, his voice slow and calm. "Mine became darker the night that Cedric Diggory died."

"Could you show us?" Octavian's question forced Morrigan to stare at him, alarm in her eyes. She quickly turned back to Severus.

"You don't have to do anything you don't -"

"-I don't see why not." The nonchalant tone of his voice brought Morrigan to become quiet. There was understanding in his eyes, because he did know of all the dark wizards that riddled Morrigan's family. He knew she would know about the mark even without having worked a day as a hit witch. He straightened and unbuttoned his sleeve, rolling the fabric up his left arm revealing the pale skin hinted by the slender wrist that Victoria had caught a glimpse of before. He had long arms, with few dark hairs covering the back of it. She had expected him to be thinner, lankier, but perhaps due to age they weren't quite as thin as she expected. In his inner left forearm was the infamous skull with a snake coming out of it's mouth: the dark mark. Morrigan had seen it before in more than one dark wizard, but she had never seen it this well defined. The mark had always seemed to have a faded greyish hue, and in another situation she would have attributed this clear coloration on the contrast against Severus's pale skin. This didn't fit the bill, however. It looked like a freshly made tattoo.

Octavian spoke first after some time. "Let the record show that Professor Snape allowed us to see the mark and that it was, indeed, matching his description of how the mark looks when He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named-summons his followers." Octavian glanced at Morrigan, "Thank you, professor."

Severus said nothing as he rolled his sleeve back in place. Morrigan found herself unable to face him for a moment, but when she did and their eyes met again, it was him who turned away. 

"I think that's all we need for now." Morrigan said, "Do you have any questions for us, Severus?"

"No." His voice was unusually hoarse. Morrigan nodded and watched as the man began to stand up. 

"Thank you for you time, could you send in Professor Sprout next?" She asked. Severus gave a short nod in her direction before briskly making his way out the door, leaving Morrigan with a strange desire to say something but no words to put it in. The two partners said nothing as they sat there. Before them was the open file of the Cedric Diggory case, and Morrigan felt the eyes in Cedric's picture stare at her intently. With a bitter feeling in the back of her throat, Morrigan slammed the document closed and looked away. The bitter silence that followed only caused the concern in both their minds to fester like some sort of infection.

* * *

_Paranoia strikes deep_   
_Into your life it will creep_   
_It starts when you're always afraid_   
_You step out of line, the man come and take you away_

_We better stop, hey, what's that sound_

_Everybody look what's going down_   
_Stop, hey, what's that sound_   
_Everybody look what's going down_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: For What It's Worth by Buffalo Springfield


End file.
